skibum

that are not of the colors, but of the elk rutting season. A few (AKA the only decent ones I have so far) I thought I would share. A few are a bit soft. Shooting the fighting elk on an 80-200 2.8 on a 2X teleconvter. 400mm handheld wide open on a 2X tele doesn't allow for very sharp images. lol

Sultana

Wow, these are very impressive shots, especially to this non-technical yet highly appreciative member.

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Sage

I really like all of these, especially the first one. Do you sit and wait for the "perfect shot" and then take it, or take a lot in succession and then pick out the best ones?

If any of them were "soft" I didn't notice- they all look really good! If I had any suggestion to make them even better it would be try to follow the rule of thirds (or whatever it's called)- framing your subjects like so. Keep em coming!

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skibum

Thanks.


Thanks. For the quesitons, really it depends on the situation. The first shot, I was actually waiting for the fighting bulls to get closer, turned and saw him on the hill and got 2 quick shots off. Fighting bulls were sequence shooting. The others kinda a combo of both. Take 3 or 4 shots, wait. And actually, because of the distances shot at and not wanting tiny subjects, many of these are crops. I had to toss the rule of thirds out the window as to not have a half an elk in a shot. lol. Tried to keep things at least a little off-center when possible. Think the only ones that aren't at all cropped are the first and second to last. I try to not have to crop, but in these cases it was necessary.

kurty[B]

That first one is magnificent. That's Rocky Mountain National right?

Never having seen elk doing much aside from resting on the side of a mountain it's great to see shots of them butting like that! Great shots skibum.

StanT

Nice shots, I saw the elk in the lower parts of RMNP last weekend on a motorcycle ride. I'm eagerly awaiting a Nikkor 70-200 VR lens from B&H, I'll have to go up and try it out when it shows up.

maleficent

the first shot is gorgeous... and the fighting elk are just really cool... impressive set of antlers on those bad boys... Who won the fight?

Nice shooting..

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skibum

Thanks. It is Rocky Mountain National Park. First 4 are shot from Morraine Park, the others are from Fall River valley.

Thanks. It can still be a pain at 200mm. Its a bit short unless the elk are near the road. lol. With the fighting elk, even 400mm was pushing it a bit.

Thanks. The elk on the right won.

Fly

oh man these are nice.......especially this one.

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BASTARD

SterlingStudios

aabbccbbaa2

very nice pictures here... how difficult is it to do these nature shots?

skibum

Depends on the situation. These were Rocky Mountain National Park, which makes things much easier. So much so I am almost embarassed to admit it. But then again most great wildlife shots come from such places. But its a welcome change from where I usually try to shoot where luck almost has more to do with getting a shot than skill. lol

JumpinJesus

You aren't giving yourself enough credit, skibum. Sure, being in a park may make the subjects easier to find and photograph, but getting shots like you have most certainly have everything to do with skill.

I have to say that the first shot is by far my favorite. I love the dichotomy of the grass, snow-covered mountains, and crisp blue sky.

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skibum

Thanks. Still can't get past feeling almost like cheating considering my usual places involve stalking and waiting a lot, and still rarely being in a position for a great shot. lol